Magic Johnson urges Mike D’Antoni to mould his system according to the team – NBA Update
The much vaunted Los Angeles Lakers are going through a major slump at the moment. They have Pau Gasol and Steve Nash on the bench with injuries and have lost 8 of their last 11 games. Presently at 9-13, they have slipped to the
12th spot in the Western Conference, and judging by the way things have been in the recent past, a quick recovery doesn’t seem likely, especially with the Lakers’ refusing to get along with Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system.
D’Antoni’s offensive system is all about running and gunning. His plays required athleticism, quickness and agility, something this present Lakers’ roster is lacking. After Tuesday’s loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers a perplexed
looking Kobe Bryant highlighted the lack of effort from his team and Magic Johnson endorsed the same fact. The former Lakers great also urged D’Antoni to think out of the box and mould his system according to the team, not the other way around;
"I've gotta adjust my system a little bit if I'm the coach. That's all," Johnson said. "His system doesn't fit the talent that the Lakers have. You can't run with this team. Who are the runners? You've got one guy who can get up
and down the court and that's Kobe (Bryant).
"Ron (Metta World Peace)? Love him, but he's slow. Both our big men are not fast guys. So we gotta say, 'Maybe I should scale it back. I run, if the basket is there, we take it.' Just like us in 'Showtime,' we ran and if we got
the layup, good. If not, Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), come here, bail us out. That's what you do. That's basketball."
Being slack on the offensive end is one thing; the Lakers have been sluggish on the D as well. Their levels of intensity are nowhere close to the required level, and new or not, Mike D’Antoni is the man responsible for their show.
He needs to ensure that all elements of what is a star studded team are utilized properly. As it is now, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard are the two men delivering on a regular basis – that also due to their individual brilliance – while the rest of the team
seems lost on the floor.
For the Lakers to live up to their promise, that has to change.
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